Day 6

The last morning dip of the week was completed at 0600 this morning following which we had a much anticipated strata prepared by Trevor and Ty. We got underway by 0830 from Swan’s Island towards Camden through the York Narrows. Starboard watch had the deck as port watch took their test on the academic program. As the ports finished the test, they replaced the starboards and had the deck through Deer Island Thorofare.
It was a warm, relatively sunny morning with some fog in the distance which made for an enjoyable sail. However, as is typical, the fog thickened and the wind diminished as we continued under power towards Camden. Happy to be done with their test, the students enjoyed each other’s company on the deck. The schooner Stephen Taber from Rockland came up along side us around noon and a good photo-op was had by all.
We continued in thick fog under the lowers, the JT and the engine towards Camden. The anchor was lowered around 1400 and the students departed for shore before 1500. They will have the afternoon to explore the town of Camden and will eat dinner ashore before coming back to the vessel for the evening.
All and all, it has been a great week. The students were a pleasure to have aboard and were in good spirits despite the generally less-than-ideal weather. They have become good friends and are well prepared to start (or, in some cases, continue) their Tabor careers.

Day 5

After morning dip, we enjoyed a quiet morning in Bass Harbor. The students went ashore with the crew and walked down to Bass Harbor Light, on the southwestern point of Mount Desert Island. Once back aboard, we got underway in pea soup fog towards Mackerel Cove at Swan’s island. While underway, students took turns plotting the vessel’s position with Emily.
Once at anchor in Mackerel Cove, we ate lunch on deck as the fog lifted from the cove. Lunch clean-up finished and students put on their suits for a general swim call. Emily, Will S. Tim and Xander took advantage of the opportunity to jump from the seventh ratline whereas Taylor and Dayren swam a full lap around the vessel.
Shortly thereafter Emily introduced the students to concepts of salinity and conductivity before they analyzed our water samples from the week. We collected water samples from all the harbors we visited as well as from the Man O’ War Brook at Valley Cove. Additionally, we analyzed the water from the vessel’s desalinator (water maker) and a bottle of Aquafina. Although even after a long week, the students put in a good effort, they were definitely jealous of the crew who spent the time exercising the avons.
Once the lesson was finished, we went ashore on Swan’s Island and walked to Saturn Press, a printing press. Joe, the owner of the press and shop, told us about the history of printing presses and clarified that even though we always think of Gutenberg as the founder of the printing press, it was actually invented four centuries earlier in China.
We had burgers and dogs on deck for dinner followed by oven-baked smores. After evening colors, we played a round of Jeopardy as a review for the test tomorrow morning, which set students into a flurry of studying before lights out.

Day 4

We were all pleased that the water in Somes Sound was marginally warmer that it was at McGlathery. A pancake breakfast geared the students up for a hike to the summit of Acadia Mountain, on the western side of Somes Sound and part of Acadia National Park. After a quick lesson on the history of glaciaitons in North America, the students, Dr. Kistler, Emily, Scottie, Spencer and Drake headed to shore for the hike.
With an elevation of 681 feet, the views from the trail are usually spectacular. The fog that was hanging over the Sound did restrict visibility to a certain extent but we were still able to see Greening Island in the mouth of Sound. Along the hike, students noted glacial striations on the bedrock that indicate the direction the ice sheet advanced. Once we reached the summit, we took an alternate route down the western side of the mountain which brought us to Echo Lake. Most students took advantage of the opportunity for a fresh water rinse with a dip, or several, in the lake.
After a bit of relaxing at the lake, we headed back on a fire road to the shore of the Sound. Ty served grilled cheese and soup for lunch which the students enjoyed on deck in a moment of unanticipated sunshine. The vessel then got underway towards Bass Harbor with a detour into the southern end of Valley Cove, which the students enjoyed from the head rig. As is typical for this region, as soon as we passed Southwest Harbor, we were locked in a dungeon of fog. It persisted as we made our way our the Western Way and into the harbor.
We let go the anchor in Bass Harbor and the students and crew departed for Southwest Harbor via the Island Explorer bus. After a couple hours of free time in town, we returned for a taco dinner complete with strawberry shortcake.
After dinner, Cap told the students the history of the Tabor Boy and the Tabor’s sail training program. The Tabor Boy is Tabor’s third sail training vessel. She was built 1914 and was originally a dutch pilot schooner in the North Sea, before becoming a sail training vessel for a dutch merchant marine academy and came to the United States after World War II. Shortly thereafter, she was donated to Tabor, where she has been for 55 years.
With a day full of hiking, swimming, shopping in town and both geologic and Tabor history, the students are nearly silent down below as they settle in to their bunks for the night. Tomorrow we will be headed for Mackerel Cove at Swan’s Island.